Evanescence – Bring Me to Life

The song Bring Me To Life didn’t just catapult the American rock band Evanescence to success – it single-handedly brought the entire subgenre of gothic metal to the forefront of mainstream radio, paving the way for other female-fronted bands from the sister genre symphonic metal, such as Nightwish, Epica, and Within Temptation. Even Lacuna Coil, which actually predated Evanescence, benefited from a mainstream audience that is now more receptive to their brand of music.

First heard on the soundtrack of the live action Daredevil movie (and probably the only good thing that came out of it,) Bring Me to Life mixes elements of alternative metal, chamber pop, gothic metal, and hard rock tied up together by a common time and a moderate 95 beats per minute tempo. It also features rap portions provided by 12 Stones lead singer Paul McCoy.

Over the years, Evanescence has suffered through several line-up changes and shakeups, including the departure of founding member Ben Moody, but as Bring Me to Life demonstrates, the real selling point of the band is vocalist Amy Lee’s powerful, soaring voice. The band has since adopted (or developed) a more formulaic, yet still listenable brand of hard rock, so if you want to hear Amy Lee and Evanescence at their best, you have to check out the song that started it all: Bring Me to Life.